Ironer



Feb. 15, 1944. DUDLEY 2,341,701

IRONER Filed March 28, 1940 v 2 lNVENTOR-i BY Q/Mr Wm?! ATTORNEY$ Patented Feb. 15, 1944 IBONER Roy A. Dudley and Howard M. Jones, Huntington,

W. Va., assignors to Empire Ironer, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 28, 1940, Serial No. 326,441

3 Claims.

This invention relates to power driven ironing machines and is particularly directed to a machine of the type employing a rotatable roll and a heated ironing shoe adapted to be engaged with the roll. More particularly the invention resides in a machine which is portable. For an example of the type of machine to which the present improvements are directed reference may be had to Patent 2,157,086, issued to William E. Stilwell, Jr., May 2, 1939.

These ironers are designed for use by the housewife and, by virtue of their compact construction and light weight, may be carried about the apartment or the house and used on a card table in any room where the housewife finds it convenient to do her ironing. Because of the use of the machine in the home, it is desirable to conceal, as much as possible, the operating parts of the machine. Also, it is desirable to provide means for discharging the pressed garments from the front of the machine.

Therefore, it has been an object of the inventors to improve the base structure of the ironer so that the base encases substantially all of the operating mechanism, such as the mechanism for moving the shoe and the switch mechanism for controlling the rotation of the roll, and at the same time to shape the base so that it constitutes an efiicient guiding means for delivering or discharging the pressed garments from between the roll and shoe across the base to the front of the machine.

It has been afurther object of the present inventors to provide a base having a raised portion integral therewith at one end thereof constituting a platform or pedestal, mounting the bracket which carries the roll driving means and the roll itself. Bearing in mind that the roll is supported by a bracket extending into one end of the roll only, it is apparent that a firm and rigid attachment is requisite.

The inventors have had the additional object of providing an improved means for fixing the bracket relative to the base whereby the parts are firmly locked together.

Other objects and certain advantages will be more fully apparent from a description of the drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View looking at the front of the ironer.

Figure 2 is a perspective view looking at the rear of the ironer.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken. longitudinally through the roll supporting end of the base showing the relationship of the bracket, the attaching plate, and the base.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on line 4- 3, Figure 2, showing the transverse shape of the base and the arrangement of the shoe operating means therein.

Figure 5 is a sectional View taken on line 5-5, Figure 4, showing the mounting of the shoe on its lever.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-45, Figure 4 further illustrating the arrangement of the shoe operating rod within the base.

Referring to the drawing, the base of the structure is indicated generally at Iii, the roll at I I, and the shoe at l2. The base is formed from a single sheet of metal'to form an enclosure l3 for the operating parts, a raised platform or pedestal l4 supporting the roll and a sloping portion I5 beneath the roll for discharging the garments to the front of the machine.

The downwardly extended rim or flange portion l5 of the base it is covered with a rubber strip I! whereby the machine may be placed on a polished surface without damaging thev same. This rubber strip I 7 includes a groove in its upper face in which the flange or the rim of the base is encased. Also this rubber strip includes a concave lower face. Thus when the ironer is placed on the table, the strip grips the surface of the table and prevents easy displacement or sliding movement of the ironer.

The shoe operating rod i8 is journalled within theback portion of the chamber 19 within the base longitudinally thereof in respect end brackets 2!] fastened to the inner face of the base by means of screws 2 i. From the'raised portion encasing this rod, the base slopes downwardly and forwardly as at l 5, leveling out to a flat area 23 toward the front of the base. The raised portion engaging the rod is disposed higher than the bottom of the roll (Figure 4) and the shoe extends forwardly beyond a line drawn from the axis of the roll to the top of the raised portion. Thus the material being ironed cannot be doubled back but must be discharged forwardly.

The arm 24 carrying the shoe is rotatably' mounted on the rod and projects upwardly therefrom through a slot 25 in the base. An operating lug 25 is fixed to the rod between the arms of the lever and includes a contact screw 21 adjustably mounted therein and adapted to engage the arm when the rod is rocked. A coil spring 28 under tension between the flange 9 on the bracket 29 and the arm 24 holds the arm against the set screw and forces the shoe to retract into position normally.

An operating lever 30 is attached to the rod adjacent the other end bracket 20 and projects through an L shaped slot 3| in the vertical forward wall 3| of the pedestal portion [4 of the base 10. This arm is adapted to swing in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rod I8. For this purpose, a pin 33 traverses the attached end of the lever and passes through the rod. The bore of the attached end of the rod is enlarged to permit this swinging. The forward end of the lever beyond the base, includes a pad 34 adapted to be engaged by the hand or elbow of the operator.

It will be seen that depression of the lever will engage the shoe against the roll. Lateral movement of the lever in the horizontal portion 35 of the slot causes the closing of the button switch 36 contained within the pedestal portion M of the base. This pedestal portion also includes a switch 31 controlling the electrical heating means in the shoe as well as the wiring for the switch and for a light 38 indicating those periods when the electricity is connected to the shoe. The heat to the shoe is controlled by means of a thermostat 39 fixed to the back of the shoe.

The arm 24 which carries the shoe, pivotally supports a bar 40, the ends of which are connected to the shoe. Screws 4| project from the back of the shoe and traverse the respective ends of the bar. Coil springs 42, under compression, are disposed between the bar and the shoe and are held in adjusted compression by means of nuts 43 engaged on the screws and against the bar. The arm 24 includes an adjustable screw 44 at its upper end, adapted to engage a lu 45 ex tending downwardly from the central portion of the bar 40. This supplies a means for holding the shoe away from the lever when the shoe is back.

The bracket 46 which carries the motor and driving transmission for the roll provides, a base flange 4! resting on the top of the pedestal portion [4 of the base, an arm 48 extending axially of the roll, and, a vertical flange 49 to which the rods 50 are attached which carry the motor and transmission (not shown) The mechanism within the roll has been disclosed elsewhere and forms I no part of this invention.

A supporting and clamping plate having about the same area as the base flange 41 of the bracket, is engaged against the undersurface of the pedestal portion of the base. Screws 52 traverse the plate 5|, the top wall 53 of the pedestal portion and the flange 41 clamping the bracket and plate upon the pedestal portion. This plate 5| carries the various electrical parts within the pedestal with the exception of the heat control switch 31.

The inside wall 54 of the pedestal portion slopes gradually into the sloping portion l5 heretofore described and merges with the fiat area 23 thus directing the garment away from the pedestal portion as the garment is discharged. A casing the same, and is held in position by means of a clip 56 on the vertical flange 49 of the bracket.

This flat area or supporting surface [4 is disposed close to the axis of the roll. Thus the length of the bracket arm is materially shortened and greater rigidity of the arm is achieved.

In the operation of the ironer, the heat in the shoe is turned on by operating the switch 31. This turns on the light 38 and shows the operator that the heating unit in the shoe is energized. Also the closing of the switch 31 connects the supply of electricity to the switch 35. Thereupon the material to be ironed is placed upon the roll and the shoe is moved into ironing position against the material on the roll by moving the lever downwardly vertically. When the lever has been moved downwardly vertically to the plane of the switch 36, it is swung laterally in the horizontal portion of the slot against the switch 36, thus closing the circuit to the motor and starting the rotation of the roll. The lever can then be released since it is locked in the lateral extension of the slot. All that the operator need do to release the lever and therefore the shoe from engagement with the roll,

is to displace the lever into the vertical portion element 55 fits around the bracket for concealing of the slot; whereupon, the shoe swings back, clear of the roll. I

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. In an ironer of the type employing a shoe and a roll, a base pressed out to provide a raised fiat portion at one end, a clamping plate engaging the underside of the raised flat portion provided by the base, and attaching means passing through the clamping plate, the raised flat portion and. into a bracket fixed to the top of the raised flat portion for clamping the bracket to the raised flat portion.

2. In an ironer of the type employing a shoe and a roll, said r011 mounted above the base and said shoe engaging the back of the roll; a base including a raised portion at the rear disposed above the bottom of the roll and in back of the roll, said raised portion arranged so that the shoe extends forwardly around the bottom of the roll beyond a line drawn between the axis of the roll and the top of the raised portion. e

3. An ironer of the type employing a roll su ported on a bracket at one end, and an ironing shoe having an operating shaft extending parallel with the roll; a base consisting of an inverted shell-like member having a semi-circular raised portion, the curvature of which is generated on the axis of the operating rod for the shoe, and said semi-circular raised portion housing the rod, the top of said base being concave and curving forwardly from the semi-circular portion into a generally horizontal plane at the front of the base, one end of the inverted shell-like base member including a raised pedestal portion providing a flattened top, and a roll supporting bracket mounted on said. raised portion for rotatively supporting the roll.

ROY A. DUDLEY. HOWARD M. JONES. 

